Tallahassee Classical School Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823285428
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Phone
8502961970
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,618,100
Expenses
$4,041,319
Assets
$12,383,093
Liabilities
$14,856,299

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • APRIL FINNEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • APRIL FINNEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $74,160 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To train the minds and improve the hearts of young people through a content-rich classical education in the liberal arts and sciences with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue.

What it reported doing in 2024

Tallahassee classical school currently serves 388 students in grades prek - 12. Our mission is to train the minds and improve the hearts of young people through a content-rich classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue. Our vision is to develop exemplary citizens that are virtuous, thoughtful, articulate, and possess a life-long passion for learning.at tallahassee classical, we collectively study a different core virtue every month. Through the development of virtuous character, scholars will be equipped to pursue truth, goodness and beauty. Tallahassee classical school emphasizes ten core virtues: wisdom: the knowledge and practice of the good. A wise person possesses the following virtues: faithfulness: i will uphold the ideals of my family, community and nation and work hard to become a just and noble citizen. Justice: i will strive towards goodness and will willingly obey all laws.gratitude: i am thankful for what i have, take good care of what i have been given and show others my appreciation.temperance: i practice self-control, self discipline and diligence in the pursuit of reaching my full potential.fortitude: i will find the strength to do the right and honorable thing and i will continue to pursue excellence despite difficulty and hardship.compassion: i treat others with kindness and consideration.diligence: i will strive to accomplish a task with concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small.integrity: i am honest and continually choose to hold myself accountable to the moral and ethical principles i am taught.humility: i place the needs of others first, ask for forgiveness and admit when i am wrong.during the 24-25 school year, tallahassee classical earned a "c" grade from the Florida department of education. Tallahassee classical prides itself on its rigorous classical curriculum. Classical curriculum focuses on traditional liberal arts and sciences, which cultivates wisdom and virtue through the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. A classical education is language-focused where learning is achieved through written and spoken words. Numerical literacy is an essential form of language, learned through the precise study of mathematical patterns and relationships. Subjects are interrelated; not studied in isolation from one another but instead scholars are taught the connections between the disciplines. History is studied in chronological order as the backbone structure for learning beginning with ancients and progressing forward to the moderns in history, science, literature, art, and music. A classical education guides scholars towards analytical inquiry and logical thinking. Scholars learn to aggregate information across various disciplines, develop effective communication skills, and become virtuous citizens and life-long learners.tallahassee classical held several athletic programs during the year, including: middle school and high school cross country, middle school soccer, and middle school and high school basketball. Tallahassee classical also conducted several clubs involving elementary, middle, and high school students, and a student government association run by our high school students. In addition, tallahassee classical incorporates a house group system in grades k-12, to foster a sense of community among students and faculty. In august, each tcs scholar is placed in one of six house groups each bearing the name of one of the first six u.s. Presidents. Scholars share membership in these groups with an array of other students from both upper and lower school. House groups meet on spirit days, which are typically the last friday of every month. On spirit days, houses will meet for fun activities, competitions, and civic outreach. House groups give older scholars the opportunity to lead and mentor younger scholars. Scholars earn points for their house through competitions and merits, culminating in ahouse cup winn

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 78% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.9%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.7%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.06; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.2; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.9% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $74K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.